Tunisia’s coastguard on Thursday retrieved the bodies of 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa ater their boat capsized at sea, a spokesman for the defence ministry said.
Five other migrants who were on board were rescued, ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said, adding that a search operation was underway.
Zekri did not give further details but said the rescue operation took place off the port of Sfax in central Tunisia.
Khaled Hayouni, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said the boat was heading to Italy from the Sidi Mansour district of Sfax when it sank.
More than 40 people were on board the makeshift boat, Mourad Turki, a spokesman for the Sfax court, said
He said that some of the 20 bodies recovered were taken to a Sfax hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Tunisia is just a few hundred kilometres from mainland Europe and has long been a launchpad for illegal migration to the continent.
Departures by desperate migrants seeking a new life in Europe peaked in 2011, following the revolution that overthrew Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
This story is from the December 25, 2020 edition of Gulf Today.
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This story is from the December 25, 2020 edition of Gulf Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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